


London to Leeds

by SugdenLovesDingle



Series: Flufftober [14]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: M/M, Meet-Cute, strangers on a train, without the murder plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:35:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27006685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SugdenLovesDingle/pseuds/SugdenLovesDingle
Summary: Flufftober day 14: Cuddles
Relationships: Aaron Dingle/Robert Sugden
Series: Flufftober [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947490
Comments: 9
Kudos: 63





	London to Leeds

“Excuse me. Is this seat taken?”

Robert looked up from his laptop into a pair of the bluest eyes he'd ever seen.

“Oh uh no, no, it's not. Sorry I'll just... move my stuff out of the way.”

“Thank god. I’ve been walking through this train for ages and everywhere is full.”

Robert nodded as he gathered his things and hastily tried to shove them into his bag.

“Don't worry mate, I've got time. It's a long train ride to Leeds.” The man said and shoved his bag on the luggage rack overhead.

“Oh right. I'm going to Leeds too.”

“Good. Then you won't have to climb over me when you need to get off.” He joked and sat down.

“What are you going to Leeds for? Business or pleasure?” Robert asked, in a desperate attempt to keep the man talking.

“Neither really. More like running home to mum after a messy break up.”

“Oh… I’m sorry.”

The man shrugged.

“It’s ok. It’s not like he was the love of my life I suppose. And I guess I wasn’t his either.”

“Oh…”

“He cheated. And then so did I to get back at him.”

Robert raised his eyebrows.

“Wow. You weren’t kidding when you said messy.”

“I haven’t even told you the best part.”

“Oh?”

“The guy he cheated with? Was the same guy I slept with to get back at him.” The guy said and laughingly shook his head.

“You’re joking.”

“I wish I was.”

“How did you find out?”

“He told me. The guy I slept with. He suggested a three-way relationship. Because apparently monogamy just isn’t for us gays.” He rolled his eyes.

Robert snorted.

“Sounds like something my ex would say. Come to think of it, she did say it.”

“You’re gay?”

“Bi.” Robert told him. “And when I told my ex she said she couldn’t be with someone half gay, half straight and that maybe I just wasn’t made to be with just one person.” He sighed. “Which… she did have a point there I suppose.”

“Really?”

“I don’t know…” Robert shrugged. “I did sleep with her PA. In her office. And neither of them told me her dad had had security cameras installed.”

The man laughed and Robert couldn’t help but join in.

“Wow, and I thought I was the champion of having a messy love life.”

“Nope, sorry. I think I win.”

“Yeah I think you do.” The man held out his hand. “I’m Aaron by the way.”

“Robert.” He shook his hand.

“So is that why you’re going to Leeds? To get away from your unintended film stardom?”

Robert chuckled.

“No not exactly. But it definitely didn’t make me want to stay.” He told Aaron. “I’m going to stay with my sister for a bit. She’s just had a baby and the guy who got her pregnant is scum and not around anymore, so it’s uncle Robert to the rescue.”

“Cute and nice. They actually exist. Who knew.” Aaron commented, making Robert smile bashfully and look down at his opened laptop in his lap.

“I’m not keeping you from your work or anything am I?”

“No, it’s fine… it’s not work…. It’s uhm… I’m writing a book.”

“Really? You’re an author? Would I have read something you wrote?” Aaron asked. “Please don’t tell me you’re actually really famous and I’m the idiot that didn’t recognise you?”

“No, don’t worry, I’m not famous. I haven’t written anything… well nothing that got published anyway. This is my first attempt. But I doubt it’ll ever go anywhere.”

“Why not? Fifty shades of grey got published. I bought those books for my mum and flicked through the first… it’s terrible”

Robert chuckled.

“Yeah my sister read them too. And I told her it was trash… and she sort of dared me to write a better one. After calling me a book snob.”

“Nice one.” Aaron laughed. “So is that what you’re writing then? A fifty shades of grey type of thing?”

“God no.” Robert breathed. “It’s uhm… a detective. Murder mystery.” He explained and Aaron nodded, urging him to continue and tell him the basic plot.

“That sounds pretty good to me. I’d read it. And I haven’t had the patience to read a book since I was in school.”

“Yeah… I don’t know if I’ll ever finish it. I’m having a nice case of imposter syndrome paired with writer’s block.” Robert explained. “I planned to write on the train but…”

“Some idiot started babbling about his disaster of a love life.” Aaron said and rummaged through his backpack for his phone and earphones. “I’ll shut up and let you write. I wouldn’t want to stand in the way of the next literary masterpiece being created.”

“Hardly.” Robert snorted. “And I don’t mind the distraction, really. I quite like it.”

Aaron smiled and they chatted for a bit about Robert’s book until he started to yawn.

“I’m sorry. It’s not boring, I’m just tired. I’ve crashed on my mate’s sofa for the past two weeks… and it’s the most uncomfortable sofa ever. I’ve barely slept.”

“Oh… well… if you want to take a nap… I can wake you up when we get to Leeds…”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.” Aaron said, shifting in his seat to get as comfortable as possible, putting his earphones in and turning on some music, pulling his hood up over his head and closing his eyes.

Just a few minutes later, Robert felt more than heard, his breathing even out.

“I wish I could fall asleep that easily…” he muttered to himself, before turning his attention back to his book. The conversation with Aaron had gotten the creative juices flowing and he knew now where he wanted the story to go next.

He started typing and for the first time in a long while he was actually happy with what he wrote.

After a while, he felt Aaron shift in his sleep next to him and put his head on his shoulder. He looked at the other man, looking all peaceful and he just didn’t have the heart to wake him up.

He wasn’t uncomfortable with Aaron sleeping on his shoulder so he decided to just let him be.

Only it turned out Aaron liked to cuddle in his sleep and actually snuggled up to Robert. He looked comfortable and Robert wished he had a blanket to cover him with.

He tried to go back to focusing on his book but felt his eyelids get heavy too and kept nodding off himself. He quickly saved his work and put his computer away, set the alarm on his phone for about 10 minutes before they were supposed to arrive in Leeds, and let himself drift off too. His head resting against Aaron’s and the rest of their bodies pressed together. Ridiculously comfortable in a way that really shouldn’t be possible on a train with a complete stranger sleeping on your shoulder.

He jerked awake about an hour and a half later when the ticket inspector patted his leg to wake him up.

“Tickets please.” She announced. “And your boyfriend’s too.”

Robert sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Next to him Aaron was still asleep.

“Tickets please.” The ticket inspector said again and Robert nodded, digging through his jacket pockets to find his ticket, waking Aaron up as he did so, before remembering he’d put it in his bag.

“Sleeping beauty, do you have your ticket?” the ticket inspector asked Aaron when he took his earphones out and sat up. “Or does your boyfriend have yours too?” she gave Robert an expectant look.

“Just mine…” he handed her his ticket that she quickly checked and handed back to him. “Alright, you’re good.”

I the meantime Aaron had pulled his ticket up on his phone and showed it to her.

“Alright. Thank you. Now I’d stay awake if I was you two. We’ll be arriving in Leeds soon. You don’t want to miss your stop and end up back in London.” She said and walked on to the next passengers.

Aaron sat up a little more and took his hood off.

“How long was I out for?”

“Uhm… an hour or so?” Robert said, not fully awake yet himself. “I’m not sure.”

Suddenly a loud and obnoxious noise started coming from Robert’s pocket, making him jump.

“Shit. That’s my alarm.” He scrambled to get his phone out of his pocket to turn it off. “I got tired too… set an alarm.” He explained sheepishly. “Did you sleep alright?”

“Uhm yeah… I suppose so… I didn’t snore or anything did I?”

“No, don’t worry. You looked quite cute… I mean… peaceful.”

Aaron rubbed his face and felt the creases in his cheek that matched the ones on Robert’s jacket.

“Oh my god did I fall asleep on you? You should have pushed me off. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine… you looked comfortable… I didn’t want to wake you. You said you hadn’t slept properly in a while so…” Robert trailed off.

“Still. I am so sorry. I really didn’t notice.”

“Don’t worry about it. I didn’t mind. I promise.”

The train slowed down as it pulled into Leeds station and both men went through the motions of gathering their stuff and making their way off the train.

“So uh… have a safe trip to your mum’s.” Robert said awkwardly, not sure what to say to the man he’d just spent two hours cuddling on a train with.

“Yeah… and you to your sister’s. I’ll uh… keep an eye out for that book.” Aaron said and they started walking in opposite directions. “Wait!” Aaron turned around and jogged up to Robert. “Do you want to get a coffee? My treat.” He smiled. “It’s the least I could do after dribbling on you all the way from London.”


End file.
